The High Court has ordered that a 22-year-old woman with anorexia can be fed through a tube.

The application to have the woman fed by tube was made by the HSE with the support of her parents. A consultant doctor told the court that the woman will not survive for much longer if she does not get the nutrients she requires.

The woman, who cannot be identified by order of the court, has suffered with anorexia for the last 10 years and has been hospitalised three times as a result.

The woman currently weighs just over five stone and has a body mass index (BMI) of 12. A normal BMI is considered to be between 18 and 25. Her weight previously fell to just over three stone, with a BMI of eight.

The application to court was made after she began refusing oral nutritional supplements that were being given to her.

The woman does not believe that she will die if she refuses further nutrition. She has stated that she does not want to die and has consented to all other medical treatments.

The case will return before the court next Tuesday. In the meantime, High Court President, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, has said that the woman can be fed by tube by her medical team.